The surprisingly common sense approach to leading a global company, based on a theoretical framework first used by the nineteenth-century Prussian Army.

For over a decade the approach known as 'mission command' has been taught at the leading HULT Ashridge International Business School and has been applied in transforming businesses as diverse as pharmaceuticals and F1 racing.

What do you want me to do? This question is the enduring management issue, a perennial problem that Stephen Bungay shows has an old solution that is counter-intuitive and yet highly practical. The Art of Action is a thought-provoking and fresh look at how managers can turn planning into execution, and execution into results.

Drawing on his experience as a consultant, senior manager and a highly respected military historian, Stephen Bungay takes a close look at the army which built its agility on the initiative of its highly empowered junior officers, to show business leaders how they can build more effective, productive organizations.